In Venice, on the Giudecca island, the Fortuny Factory and Showroom guards the secret of the fabrics designed by the genius of Mariano Fortuny, whose legacy is today masterfully interpreted by Chahan Minassian in the building that was once home to Elsie McNeill Lee, the entrepreneur who made the brand immortal.
Founded in 1921 by the “Magician of Venice,” Mariano Fortuny, the factory occupies a former industrial building surrounded by a lush, secret garden. Crossing the gates means entering the universe, preserved intact over time, of an eclectic genius who was a painter, photographer, designer, set designer, and, above all, inventor of fabrics that seem painted by light.
Mariano Fortuny was “the inventor of light”: in theatres, in clothes and in his marvellous fabrics, a shimmering “lagune Lumière”.
The Factory of Wonders
Even today, behind the red brick walls, the famous printed cottons are produced following the original processes and machines designed by Mariano himself.
No outsiders, and only a few company employees, are allowed into the production department: the color formula and printing technique remain a closely guarded secret of the Riad family, who have inherited the master’s legacy with sacred devotion.
The miracle that this temple of beauty has survived to this day is, in fact, thanks to an enlightened American entrepreneur, Elsie McNeill Lee, better known as Countess Gozzi after her marriage to Count Alvise Gozzi. She was the exclusive distributor of Fortuny fabrics in the US and, upon Mariano Fortuny’s death, was encouraged by his wife Henriette to continue production.
In 1988, the Countess appointed Maged F. Riad, a trusted collaborator, as her heir, and since 1994, his family has carried on the brand’s legacy.
Chahan Minassian’s Vision: Legacy Reinterpreted
If Mariano Fortuny was the inventor of light, Chahan Minassian is today the curator of its modernity. A world-renowned Armenian interior designer based in Paris but deeply rooted in Venice, Chahan has reinterpreted the Fortuny legacy in a contemporary key.
To do so, he renovated, next to the Fortuny showroom, what was once Elsie McNeill Lee’s apartment, a splendid 1950s building designed between 1958 and 1961 by architect Luigi Vietti, famous for furnishing the most beautiful villas on the Costa Smeralda and in Cortina d’Ampezzo during the Dolce Vita era.
Design icons “dressed” by Fortuny
Entering, after the first sitting room, you encounter the beautiful and original spiral staircase created by Vietti, from which hangs a Murano glass chandelier by Chahan Design. Minassian used the famous fabrics not only as curtains and upholstery, but also as structural elements of the design, pairing them with sculptural metal materials and covering world-famous design icons with them.
The pieces from his Chahan Design collection are juxtaposed with works by artists such as Pierre Sabatier, creator of the original sculptural metal walls, and Harumi Klossowska de Rola, as well as great 20th-century designers such as seats by Gio Ponti and Vladimir Kagan, sofas by Edward Wormley, and chairs by Maitland Smith. What a beauty.
The Fortuny Showroom: An Alcove of Beauty
After visiting the Palazzina, you can visit the nearby Fortuny Showroom, a room of wonders, with the famous fabrics displayed in spectacular drapes. Here, you can choose from over 125 patterns and 400 colors. Each piece is unique, with unrepeatable reflections; just think that it takes three months of work to produce 120 meters of fabric. Each meter is a work of art.
In addition to fabrics, you can also purchase other limited-edition products from the brand here, such as diaries, cushions, tabards, and many other accessories and furnishing accessories.
The Secret
It is said that the true secret ingredient of Fortuny fabrics is the humidity of the Venice Lagoon. The cotton (an extremely fine, long-staple Egyptian cotton) is processed in an environment where the salty air affects the drying times of the pigments, making the final result impossible to replicate in a laboratory in New York or Paris.
Useful Info
Fortuny
Giudecca 805
30133 Venezia
Tel. +39 041 5287697
Free guided tours are usually held on the first and last Wednesday of the month. It’s essential to book well in advance through the official website fortuny.com/visit (in the “Book an appointment” section), as space is limited.
Showroom access by appointment only.
